When we met, I wore my lucky jade bracelet and she wore a hat with a white ribbon in it. It was like God had matched us Himself. She was short, but not too short, and shapely, or even fat depending on when and how you looked at her, but her white ribbon waved from her hat and I had a mighty dragon chained to my wrist and that was all we needed. It was destiny.

I bought her a pretzel and she took one bite before tossing the rest to a cloud of ducks that had waddled over to watch us. We reversed roles and became the watchers when the ducks fought for her leftovers. She and I shared a special brand of kindness. I shared, she shared, they shared- a three-part harmony.

In the minutes just before midnight, she lit a cigarette and became as earthbound star. I despised smoking but accepted her completely, even as she accepted me and I knew then that she was more than merely special- she was the one hundred percent perfect girl for me.

If I see her again, I might tell her, but I think she is just a dream.